Innate Attraction
by cburton1995
Summary: AU FTL: Princess Emma has just been informed of her pending nuptials, running away from home leads her to the Dark Kingdom, where she meets Regina, they discover that they are each others magical counterpart, their innate magical abilities linking them in both love and magic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Knock, knock, knock**_.

"What do you want August? I told you I wanted to be left alone until it was time for my mother's weekly parade of idiots. These balls she forces me to attend are truly infuriating, god forbid I find true love, like her and father." The princess said as she finished sharpening her sword and began to shine it

"I'm sorry your highness but…" The guard stuttered

"August I've already told you, we grew up together therefore you have earned the right to call me Emma, I hate my title." The blonde said not moving from her bed, as she carefully continued to shine her sword.

"You may hate it but that's the title you were given at birth, and I will not hear you undermine it, or me is that clear." A raven-haired woman criticized as she swept into her daughters room. "As for the ball you will be attending, you have no choice. It's absolutely ridiculous that at your age you have yet to find someone." Snow White sighed.

"Well maybe if you would stop forcing all these people down my throat, and introduce me to someone actually interesting instead of boring and old. And what's up with you mother, you're normally stuck up and stubborn but not to this degree, did someone step on your dress" Emma spat

"Punishing magic users tends to leave me in a bad mood, but enough about me your behavior has been deplorable. You may not like it, but every time you are rude or turn down one of the princes or lords introduced to you, you give our kingdom a bad name. You need to smarten up and do as your told." Snow said harshly.

"You're a hypocrite you that?" Emma replied bitterly not even bothering to look up from the sword she was still polishing.

"oh really? And why is that?" Snow asked with a quirked eye brow.

"You and dad both are actually. Ever since I was little I've heard both of you say how lucky you were, lucky that you had found your true loves and lucky that you hadn't been forced to marry someone else. And yet here you are telling me that I have to pick a husband and that it doesn't matter if I love him or not." Emma stated coolly, finally looking up from her sword to send her mother a withering glare.

"Yes well your father and I have talked, and we've decided that you're right." Snow stated. Emma's eyes went wide as she looked at her mother with an open mouth expression. "Your father and I have decided that forcing you to pick was completely unfair, you don't know who would benefit our kingdom the most. Therefore we have decided that our best course of action is that we choose for you, in fact the man you are to be betrothed to is here tonight." Snow stated simply

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Emma screamed at her mother as she felt her world come crashing down around her. Emma and her mother hadn't gotten along since Emma decided that she didn't like going to balls and wearing fancy dresses, instead choosing to spend her time in the training yard with August and the other guards, practicing with her sword as well as perfecting her archery technique.

"We can, and we did. You are to marry Prince Baelfire of the eastern Kingdom, His family is very wealthy and they have a very strong army, they will be very powerful allies and you will not screw this up for your father and I." Snow informed hrshly. "The ball is tonight at eight and you will be there, you will wear the dress that I have laid out and you will accept when Prince Baelfire asks you to dance, and that is final young lady."

"Question, if this goes according to plan, when will I be getting married?" Emma asked hesitantly terrified of the answer she would receive.

"In a fortnight, the Blue Fairy is going to officiate, therefore it's binding, and only way out of it is if one of you dies." The Queen said smugly. Emma's mind was racing, in two weeks time she would be married, whether she wanted to be or not. In her desperation Emma came up with a plan, a plan that would utilize the talents she had kept hidden for so many years.

"Alright mother you're right," Emma said sadly allowing her mother to believe that she had truly won the argument, "I will be down at the ball at Nine and then I will dance with Prince Baelfire to his hearts content, and when he proposes I will accept." Emma promised

"Why at nine? I just told you it started at eight." Snow questioned happy that her daughter had finally seen reason.

"There's no way that I can geet myself ready in just 3 hours, I have something special in mind and I need at least four to get it done properly." Emma explained, as a gleam appeared in her mother's eye.

"That sounds lovely dear, would you like your father to escort you down?"

"No mother it's fine I'll have August do it. I want to surprise you and Father with my entrance," Emma replied sweetly, her mother smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Alright that sounds find, I'm so glad you finally see reason. I shall see you down stairs at nine." And with that Snow swept out of the room leaving a fuming Emma behind her.

Once she was sure her mother was gone the Princess jumped into action. "August, get in here," The princess called as she ran around her room gathering as many of her weapons as she could reasonably carry.

"Yes Emma?" The man asked as he walked into the room.

"You are to keep everyone out of my rooms until my mother and father are the ones demanding entry, and only then are you to allow them entry, do you understand?" The blonde demanded as she halted her gathering to look at her guard.

"Yes your highness, may I ask why?" The guard requested

"Yes you may, but it doesn't mean I'll answer. Now please leave I have a lot to do so that I can get ready for this evening."

"Of course your highness," With a low bow August made his way out of the room. Once the heavy door had shut Emma ran towards her closet as she began pulling out her riding clothes as well as a bag in order to hold the small amount of food she planned to bring with her.

Glancing around the room Emma did a final check to make sure she had everything she might need. She had food in her bag, her sword attached to her hip as well as her quiver of arrows and her bow attached to her back. Finally the princess checked the small daggered she kept in her boot and at her hip checking to make sure they were properly positioned so as not to jab her in her side or ankle. Finally Emma made her way towards the Bathroom where she quickly filled the tub with water and placed a warming charm over it to keep it warm for the next five hours, where parents did come into her room hopefully the warm water would make them think she had only just left.

With a final glance around her room Emma was finally pleased with her preparations to depart. Closing her eyes Emma felt the familiar tug from deep inside as she allowed herself to be transported to the stables, right beside her treasured black Albanian Shadow.

"Hey boy," Emma whispered as she starked the powerful animals muzzle, "Are you ready for a long ride? We're finally getting out of here, away from my mother and her balls and expectations, away forced marriages for the betterment of the kingdom. We're going to the one place I don't think she'll ever look for us, and if she does, there's no way that she'll be allowed in." Emma whispered as she saddled her horse, at her words Shadow moved his large head to look at her, if horses could display a look of shock Emma was almost positive that's what she would see now on her companions face. "Don't look at me like that, it's the only place I think I'll be safe…once I demand an audience with the Queen that is. Even if it's not it's still better than here because I can use my Magic, I won't be forced to marry anyone either, so look at me like that all you want, but we're going."

A loud sound came from out side the stables, causing Emma to quickly hide behind a bale of hay in Shadows area. Once the noise had dided down and Emma was sure no one would be bothering her she quikly stood up and led her Horse out the back end of the stables quietly making her way to the gate, and after a quickly mumbled cloaking spell, Emma and Shadow slipped out of the castle gates unnoticed.

"Come on boy, it's going to take a little bit to get there we need to move," With that Emma kicked the horse into a trot as she quickly made her way towards the Dark Kingdom.

_tbc…_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks everyone for the amazing response to the first chapter I can honestly say that's the most reviews I've gotten at the start of a story so thanks for that, I love hearing what you guys are thinking about the story. I will be updating every Wednesday, thanks for the support

**C.A.B**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it were true, I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of it's characters.**

"There it is, the Dark Kingdom," Emma said in awe, gazing up at the castle looming above her. Emma jumped off of her horse as she approached the gates guarding the kingdom from those who might wish it harm. Emma cast a cloaking charm over herself and Shadow allowing them to slip through the gates unnoticed. Before she continued through the gates Emma did a quick detection spell, looking for any enchantments that may have been placed over the gate to remove cloaking spells. Satisfied when she found none Emma proceeded forward unaware of the alarm that had been tripped by her probing magic alerting the Queen that someone had entered the kingdom under a cloaking spell. Completely unaware Emma continued her trek up to the palace, a mixture of anxiety and determination guiding her closer and closer to her destination.

After another half hour of walking Emma finally reached the entrance to the

Palace. Removing the cloaking charms, and lifting the hood on her riding cloak Emma walked through the doors and into the throne room, where only a handful of guards stood with no sign of the Queen anywhere in the room. A man in the center of the guards was the first to notice her.

"Halt, who goes there," He called out, drawing his sword and alerting the others to a new presence in the room.

"None of your business, I respectfully request an audience with the Queen of the Dark Kingdom." Emma stated carefully analyzing the situation. There were a total of fifteen guards in the room, meaning that the Queen was probably near by, but not necessarily in the room. After another cursory glance around the room, Emma noticed a light shimmer just above the seat of the throne, Emma grinned internally, the Queen was there and wanted to see how she would proceed. Emma nodded her head slightly towards the chair, accepting the silent challenge. While all the guards had their eyes on her many had already dismissed as a threat simply because of her gender, only one remained tense, refusing to underestimate the women before him.

"And who are you to request anything of us? You are but a woman if we were to attack you now you would be dead before you could even plead for mercy" One of the men sneered from the back of the room, earning chortles from all the guards but one. Unseen by any of the guards the hidden Queen tensed, furious at the thinly veiled threat that had been made against the stranger in the room. The Queen couldn't understand the protective feeling she had over this new comer but she knew that while she was in the room no harm would be fall her.

"I reiterate for those of you to stupid to understand, it is none of your business who I am, and I respectfully request an audience with your Queen." Emma repeated again, refusing to give away her identity to anyone but the Queen. The Queen smiled, liking the tenacity being shown by the stranger, the tug of protection being replaced by something almost like affection, confusing the Queen greatly. At last the man who had remained silent and observant spoke up asking the one question that Emma was willing to answer.

"You refuse to give us your name, but will you at least reveal what it is you are doing here in this kingdom?" He asked his voice calm and almost comforting but still cool and calculating at the same time.

"Finally, someone with a brain, I will tell you what I'm doing here but know more" Taking a deep breath Emma began the formal ritual for asylum that she had learned years ago, one that only royalty would know and had to respect. If Emma's hunch was correct the Queen had been in the throne room the whole time, watching the encounter.

"Well get on with it them," On of the men called out, clearly getting impatient, not understanding why they hadn't already attacked the newcomer. Emma turned her gaze to the man and mumbled an incantation that froze him in place, shocking all of the guards and the Queen, who's interest peaked higher than it already had. Before anyone could stop her Emma turned around and walked up to the steps before the throne where she was almost positive the Queen was seated, Glancing back over her shoulder at the guards behind her Emma curtsied to the supposedly empty throne and knelt on the ground before repeating the words she had learned in her youth.

"_On this night of harvest moon I request my plea be heard_

_No longer safe in my own home, beg you trust my word_

_I stand before the Queen today to try and find my place_

_A place where I can hide, a place I can be safe_

_My Kingdom wants to harm me, and so I turn to you_

_I Promise to protect fair queen should any fight ensue_

_I stand in front of you dear queen to find and seek protection_

_And so I'll stand here to await your choice, while I avoid detection._

The Queen was shocked, she had only heard of this ritual request of asylum once before and it had been when she first became Queen, she had learned it through her readings as it had been posed as a hypothetical situation. It had been hundreds of years since someone had actually used the formal request. As the Queen thought this over she waved her hand in the direction of the frozen guards unfreezing them from the spell that the mysterious stranger had placed over them. She regretted it almost immediately though as they rushed to attack woman before her, who still had her back turned, the Queen had never been so ashamed of her guards. She smiled when she saw that not all of her guards were completely inept and allowed only one member of her guard to remain unfrozen.

Once Emma had finished her plea for asylum she slowly stood curtsying once more towards the throne. Before she could turn back around to face the guards Emma felt her enchantment over the guards lift. After a moment of confusion the only sound to be heard was that of swords being drawn and armour clattering as the guards rushed at her. Emma prepared her self as she waited for the men to get close enough before the attack. Before Emma could even draw upon her arsenal of weapons a voice called out and a pulse of air travelled through the room halting the men in mid attack.

"HALT!" The new voice called, shocking and terrifying the members of the guard, as they realized that their Queen had been present the whole time. Emma's head snapped towards the sound grinning when she saw that her assumption had been right, the Queen had been there the whole time, meaning that she had heard the plea for protection. "What do you think you're doing?" the ruler questioned her voice cold and measured as she stared at each one of the guards in turn. A chill went down Emma's spine as she heard the Queen's voice for the first time; she had expected to feel varying degrees of awe but not this immense pull towards the ruler.

"Your majesty, we…I …we just thought," one of the guards stuttered. The Queen noticed it was the man who had first challenged the stranger upon her arrival.

"Be silent, you obviously were not thinking. How dare you attack someone who has come to our kingdom-seeking asylum? I understand that your comprehension level is low and that there is no way for you to understand that pledge this woman just made but surely you know what asylum means." The Queen stated with condescension. The guards simply hang their heads refusing to meet the eyes of their ruler and jumping slightly when her voice pierced the air once more. "Graham! Come here," the Queen commanded. The man who had remained quiet and pensive during the whole encounter stepped forward and bowed before the Queen.

"Yes your majesty?" He questioned. The warmth in his voice startling Emma, all of the other guards seemed terrified while this man seemed calm and indifferent. He also addressed the Queen with a small smile, one that was fleetingly returned by the Royal. Emma didn't understand it but a large amount of jealousy suddenly over took her, with the blonde wishing it was her Queen was smiling at.

"You held back, when the buffoons rushed this stranger. Why?" The Queen inquired lightly.

"I analyzed the situation when she first walked in and discovered no threat, there was no need for such impulsive behaviour." Graham said. The Queen nodded in agreement.

"And that right there is why you are the captain of my guard. Thank you Graham. Now take these incompetent fools and deal with them, I don't want them in my sight. And while you're at it, compile a list of guards to be reviewed, it seems I now have a fair amount of vacancies in my personal guard." The Queen said calmly, ignoring the paling faces of the men around her.

"Of course your majesty." Graham said with one more bow we strode out of the room the other men following quickly behind.

"Now, I assume you only refused to speak your identity with those idiots in the room. You know just as well as I do that I cannot provide you sanctuary without your name, the kingdom you come from and the reasons you are running." The Queen said kindly, her total demeanour changing at the exit of the guards.

"Yes I am aware your majesty, I just request that if you deny my plea after you find out who I am, you allow me to leave unharmed." Emma requested knowing that this meeting could only go one of two ways. Either asylum would be granted or the Queen would try to have her killed, Emma was counting on the earlier of the two.

"An odd request but," the Queen sighed, "I give you my word that no harm shall befall you within my kingdom, regardless of if you are granted asylum."

"Thank you your majesty, that makes me breathe a little clearer." Emma said with a small smile, thrilled when the Queen returned it with one of her own.

"Of course, I'm not going allow harm to befall a royal who has come to my Kingdom begging asylum using one of the oldest rituals to do so. Now, I know you are probably still having some issues giving your identity to me, I can feel it in the protective pulse that your magic is giving up, so to put you at ease you may call me Regina." The queen said, completely shocking herself, she never allowed anyone to call her by her given name; she always went by her title.

"Thank you Regina, that does help. And I should have known you would be able to detect my magic, that doesn't surprise me, but I question when it was you realized I entered your kingdom, surely you don't sit in this room invisible for the fun of it." Emma teased lightly. Mentally smacking herself for the lack of formalities she was using with this very powerful woman.

"You may have slipped past the gate at the front without my Guard knowing, but the spells around it are set to simply alert myself if someone has entered undetected. It will only remove the cloaking charms if they believe the user means me harm." Regina explained watching as understanding covered the face of the women before her, still hidden by her hood. "Now I believe I have answered enough of your questions, it is time for you to tell me who you really are."

"Would you like my name, or my title?" Emma asked cheekily enjoying the small smile that crossed the Queens face.

"I'll go with your title, and lower your hood if you don't mind," Although it was stated as more of a suggestion Emma knew that it was closer to an order, one she had no issue complying with. With a grin, Emma reached for her hood and pulled it down with a flourish, looking up at the Queen once it was fully down. Vibrant green eyes meeting calculating brown ones as they took in the woman with blonde curls before her. Once Regina was able to get a good look at the stranger before her, she was able to formulate a tentative guess at who this new comer was, only for it to be confirmed moments later.

"My name is Emma Swan Charming, Daughter of King Charming and Queen Snow, Princess of the White Kingdom and Heir to the throne."

Tbc…

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought and constructive criticism is welcome.

**Until next time**

**C.A.B**


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everyone for the amazing response to the last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Sorry this is a day late I meant to post last night but I got really busy so I didn't have a chance. So without first ado chapter 2 of Innate Attraction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did swan queen would be canon**

"Ha!" The Queen chuckled, bewildered that the stranger in front of her would make such an outrageous claim. "Do you actually expect me to believe that? Why on earth would the daughter of Snow White come to me seeking asylum? I am supposedly Queen Snow's worst enemy, so tell me if you were who you say you are, why on earth would you come to me. And why seek asylum when the White kingdom is supposedly flourishing?" Regina questioned truly confused.

"Let me ask you this, your Majesty, when you hear reports of the White Kingdom flourishing, who do they say is doing well? The Crown, or the citizens who actually reside there, 'cause I can tell you right now the only people doing well in that kingdom are the nobles and the Crown." Emma said sadly her heart breaking for her people, but knowing there was nothing she could do about it until her mother stepped down from the throne. All Emma had been able to do in her eighteen years was sneak some food out of the castle during the winter when she was 13. Emma had finally seen the chaos that had befallen the White kingdom and it tore her part in two not being able to do more. When she had gotten home that day her mother had been furious and forbidden Emma from leaving the castle unsupervised, at first this hadn't been a problem as many of the Guards would allow Emma to do what she wanted, but as the queen caught wind of this, the guards were all warned and threatened against doing so.

"Really? Snow always boasted about her love of her subjects, I wonder what happened." Regina mumbled to herself.

"I don't know, all I know is the more my mother tried to forget her days as a refuge the more she forgot about the people still struggling in her Kingdom." Emma said sharply, still disgusted with her mother's lack of care towards her people.

"Well if your claim ends up being true I shall send a scout to discreetly try and offer help, but for now there is a much larger issue at hand. You have yet to prove your claim, I need more than your word." Regina stated, although something inside her, probably connected to the part that was drawn to the blonde, wanted to trust the woman standing before her.

"Well what could I do to prove to you who I am? I can show you my weapons, all of which bore the symbol of the Crown in the White kingdom. I have a feeling though that won't work," Emma stated simply, having figured out how to prove to the queen who she was on the journey between kingdoms, but the queen had to be aware of a certain aspect of her past in order for that to work.

"Oh and why won't it?" The Queen questioned, having ruled it out in her mind the moment the Blonde had suggested it.

"Well, Regina, to obtain such items I would have simply had to steal it. And seeing as security tends to be fairly lax in the White kingdom, as you are well aware, it wouldn't have been difficult to do so." Emma replied, watching as the Queen nodded her head in approval.

"Well then, how do you suppose you prove your identity to me?" Regina remarked.

"Well your majesty, that depends on what you know of my past. That is assuming I'm who I say I am of course." Emma replied with a cheeky grin. As Regina looked upon the blonde she couldn't help but wish that she could remove that smirk from Emma's lips, preferably with her own. Startled at the sudden and inappropriate thought the Queen shook her self slightly before responding.

"Well what type of history are you looking for?" Regina inquired

"Preferably something surrounding injuries that I may have sustained, something that may have left a scar perhaps," Emma replied, her grin falling a bit as she remembered how she had obtained the scars in question.

"Well let me think," Regina began as she started to shift through what little she actually knew about the Princess, Snow had kept her daughter very tight to the chest, allowing very little information about her to leave the kingdom. There was one piece of information that came to the forefront of the Queens mind, if the person standing in front of her was truly Snow's daughter than it would be fairly simple to figure out. "Alright Emma, about four years ago news reached me that Snows daughter had been badly injured, no one knew how or what happened, only that she would have to scars on her back and one on her side. If you can show me those I will believe you." The queen stated.

"And what if my mother had them fixed with magic?" Emma questioned even though that wasn't the case.

"You can argue that magic fully healed the scars but that is impossible, magic would still leave a faint trace of the marks, but only visible to other magic users. So I tell you once again, if you want me to believe you and your absurd claim, prove it to me. Show me the marks." Regina stated smugly, as she took in the woman before her she was surprised to see the blonde looking so uncomfortable. "If you come clean now, about all this nonsense, I will let you walk out of my kingdom unharmed, but if there are no marks, or traces of then you will be put in my dungeon, so I would make a decision quickly." Emma looked up from her place in front of the Queen and met her stare head on, becoming one of the only people to not flinch at the Queens harsh stare. Almost as though meeting a challenge, Emma nodded her head and reached for the hem of her tunic, ripping it off in one fluid motion, turning away from the queen so that Her back was fully in view. Regina gasped, the scars on Emma's back where much worse then she had anticipated, they started on each shoulder and then crossed down her back forming an 'x' and stopping as it reached her lower back. Once Emma was sure that the Queen had fully taken in the horrors on her back she slowly rotated allowing Regina to see how the scar that started on her right shoulder curled around her side and went part way up towards her abdomen.

"Do you believe me now?" Emma asked with a sad guarded tone. Emma knew what they looked like, for she had to view them every time she changed, they were very angry and red upon her skin. As Regina looked at the scarred flesh she could almost feel the pain it had caused the blonde, and not for the first time since Emma had arrived the Queen wished she could take the woman into her arms and make all of her pain disappear, a notion completely foreign to Regina. Feeling self-conscious Emma grabbed her tunic, and turned her back to the queen as she quickly pulled it back on, covering her marred skin once more. Once she was covered again Emma turned back towards the Queen, refusing to meet her eye. Regina carefully took in the posture of the woman before her and realized that she would have to proceed with caution; otherwise her next words could have the blonde fleeing from her presence.

"You have no reason to be ashamed," Regina whispered, the belief flicker of Emma's eyes as they quickly looked towards the Queen the only recognition Regina got that her words had been heard. "Princess look at me…please," Regina begged something that was unheard of from her, Emma's head snapped up at the use of her title.

"So I guess you believe me now, huh?" Emma teased, although her demeanor was still very guarded.

"I think I believed you when you first told me, but what kind of Queen would I be if I risked my people's safety by simply taking your word." The Queen explained as Emma nodded her head in agreement. Seeing the unease still on the blonde's face Regina decided to change the topic slightly.

"Alright so we have established that you are indeed, princess Emma of the White Kingdom, but I still have no clue as to why you are asking me for asylum." Regina asked hesitantly.

" For a couple of reasons," Emma said simply, not bothering to elaborate.

"And those reasons would be? Speak up Dear, I don't have all day." Regina said with a slight smile on her face.

"My mother has decided that I am to old to not be married and informed me last night that I am to be married to Prince Baelfire in a fortnight." Emma spat, still trying to wrap her head around what her mother had tried to do. Regina's head snapped up she knew what it was like to be forced into an unwanted and loveless marriage, but sadly it wasn't enough reason to grant the Princess asylum, under the ritual the princess had employed to start the process.

"While my heart breaks for you princess," The Queen said sincerely causing Emma to look into her eyes. Detecting only honesty Emma motioned for the queen to continue, "you know as well as I do that under the old ritual of asylum I can't take that as a reason to grant you asylum. That pledge means I can only grant you asylum if your life is in danger," Regina said sadly.

"Good thing it is then," Emma replied sadly, her piercing Green eyes steadily meeting the queens for the first time since her scars had been revealed.

"What do you mean princess?" Regina asked curiously.

"Did you no that in the White kingdom it is a crime to be a witch?" Emma asked bitterly, shocking the Queen.

"No I did not, but I fail to see how it's relevant." Regina stated.

"Well the fact that they are either jailed for life, tortured or killed might make it a little relevant." Emma sighed, watching as Regina's eyes widened in understanding.

"You mean that…" The Queen trailed off in complete shock.

"Yep I'm a witch, just like you. Except my magic isn't purple like yours it's more of a Royal blue," Emma smirked. Regina opened her mouth to say something but Emma cut her off before she could say anything. "Yes I know I have to prove that to you as well. So let's make this easy, I know you're good with fireballs, so throw one at me." Emma said stepping back to give herself enough room for what she had planned. Regina looked hesitant but nodded. Emma moved back further still, once she was satisfied she gave Regina her attention once more.

"Okay, do your worst," Emma challenged. Regina smirked as she held her hand out smiling growing as a fireball appeared in the palm of her hand. With one final glance at the blonde she raised her hand and threw the fire will all of her might.

Emma watched as the fireball approached with increasing speed. Regina watched, her anxiety rising the closer it got to Emma with so much of a twitch from the blonde. Finally when it was only ten feet in front of her, Emma held out her hand a ball of ice in her palm throwing it directly at the ball of fire, both of which disappeared on contact. Regina was shocked not because Emma could use magic but because of the fact that Emma's innate element was water, the compliment to her own. Regina looked up just in time to see Emma be engulfed in Royal Blue smoke, only for her to appear seconds later, right in front of the Queen.

"So," The blonde began now only a few feet away, "Now that I have sufficiently proven my competence in magic, provided an explanation as to my reasons for asylum as well as my identity, it is time for you to make your decision." Emma smirked, pushing aside the pull towards the queen that had arisen at their suddenly close proximity, and pushing away the immense desire to kiss the woman before her. Little did Emma know the Queen was struggling with her own inner debate.

"You have made a valid argument, in both the case of your identity and why you seek asylum. Therefore with the power given to me as ruler of this Kingdom I Regina Mills, Queen of the Dark Kingdom grant Emma Swan Charming, Princess of the White Kingdom, Daughter of Queen Snow and King Charming, heir to their throne, asylum within the Dark Kingdom. No harm shall befall you here Princess you have my word." Regina promised as a brilliant smile crossed Emma's face, what she wouldn't give to see that there everyday.

"Thank," Emma said "You have no idea what this means to me, to finally have some semblance of safety from my mother and to be able to use magic without fear of persecution." The smile still evident on her face, Emma pulled the Queen into a hug, the action only briefly shocking both women. What truly shocked them both was how well they fit together and how at home they felt in each other's arms.

"Emma I have a question." Regina began hesitantly, "Actually I have two," Regina looked into Emma's eyes knowing that one of the questions would be difficult for the blonde to answer.

"Fire away, your majesty," Emma smiled

"Why did you use an ice ball to stop the fire? Why not simply catch it and absorb it into your palm? Or simply vanish it in mid air?" Regina questioned starting with the easier of the two questions.

"I don't know actually, water as kind of always been my default, I've been able to manipulate it for as long as I can remember, why?" Emma asked curiously.

"Well it looks like water is your innate element," Regina stated simply. Emma looked at her with a confused expression.

"Umm I have no clue what that means." She said with a thoughtful look upon her face. Regina sighed, any kingdom where magic is allowed knows what an innate element is, with a silent curse to Snow Regina began to explain.

"Everyone born with the ability to use magic is also born with an innate talent, for some people it's telekinesis, protection charms, others like myself and you are born with innate elements, elements that our magic allows us to have total control over." Regina explained patiently.

"Okay that makes sense I guess, but does that mean I can't learn how to do protection charms or fireballs cause they're not my innate ability?" Emma questioned, worried that she wouldn't be able to use magic to protect herself.

"No not at all, all it means is that those born with an innate ability are stronger in that one field than someone born with a different ability, for example, I can control water as well, but only for very brief periods of time and it is considerably weaker than what I can do with fire, or with what you can do with water." Regina explained. As Emma absorbed the information Regina could almost see the question forming in her head before she even asked it.

"Would I ever be able to master fire like you have?" Emma questioned.

"Yes, but that is a long explanation that I don't know if you want to hear." Regina said tentatively.

"Trust me it can't be that bad," Emma urged. Regina looked at the blonde and the determined look on her face, with a small sigh Regina nodded her head and began to explain.

"Every magic user born with an innate ability is also born with a counterpart, someone whose magic compliments his or hers perfectly." Regina said, watching Emma's face for a reaction.

"Okay, so I'm going to assume that you're fire and I'm water that we are each others counterpart, that's pretty cool so why do you seem worried?" Emma questioned

" I'm not worried, I'm more cautious. When you walked into this room you knew exactly where to look for me, why?" Regina asked

"Well I saw a small flicker by your throne, and I felt a kind of tug in that direction." Emma explained trying to understand what Regina was getting at.

"That tug you felt? I've been feeling it too, that's the other part to this, everyone's counterpart is also their supposed true love, their other half lets say." Regina explained watching Emma's face for a sign of repulsion or disgust, sighing in relief when Emma grinned widely.

"Well that's good to know," Emma mumbled quietly as she stepped closer to the queen so that they were only an inch apart.

"What's good to know?" The Queen inquired

"Well it's good to know I'm not the only one feeling like this, and it means that I can do this and get away with it when ever I want," Emma smiled, moving even closer to the queen.

"Do what?"

"This," and with that Emma closed the remaining distance between the two of them as she connected their lips. It was a soft kiss, both women simply reveling in the feeling before pulling away. Regina smiled and Emma couldn't help but placing another chaste kiss on the Queens lips.

"Feel free to do that when ever you want Miss Swan," Regina exhaled softly.

"Miss Swan?" Emma asked quizzically

"Well," The Queen began, "If you are to remain in my Kingdom you can't exactly go by charming, now can you?" The queen explained, as understanding bloomed across Emma's face.

"You have a point there my Queen," She replied purring the last to words into Regina's ear making her go slightly weak at the knees. Emma smiled at the reaction and went in for another soft kiss, but stopped abruptly as she remembered that the Queen had originally had two questions.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked basking in the feeling of having Emma in her arms.

"You said you had two questions, what was the second." Emma asked

"Oh," Regina replied taking a step back out of Emma's embrace. A look of hurt flashed across Emma's face but it was masked quickly, not quickly enough though for Regina to see it. "It has nothing to do with this," Regina began, "with us, I swear, I just don't want to bring up any unwanted memories." Emma nodded in understanding.

"You want to know how I got the scars," Emma stated simply, shocking the Queen who had resituated herself in the blonde's arms.

"I do, but only if you want to tell me. I won't push you if you're not ready," Regina promised, feeling a sense of relief wash over her, looking towards the blonde Regina realized it was Emma's feelings of relief that she had felt.

"No, I want to tell you, I'm just scared," Emma said softly.

"Would you feel better telling me somewhere more private?" Regina questioned "The throne room isn't very comforting." She said as she gestured around the room.

"I would like that thanks," Emma mumbled gripping the Queen a little tighter. With a quick nod Regina engulfed them both with purple smoke and they were soon sitting on the bed in Regina's royal chambers.

"Better?" she questioned

"Yes thank you," Emma replied placing a delicate kiss upon the Queens temple, in a move that comforted both of them.

"Remember, you don't have to tell me." Regina promised as they lay down on the bed and the blonde burrowed into the brunettes side.

"I want to," Emma mumbled into Regina's neck.

"Take your time then my love," The brunette cooed neither of the rooms occupants noticing the term of endearment. With one last shaky exhale Emma nodded.

"I have these scars because I stopped a witches punishment, she was being tortured and I tried to stop it, when she caught wind of this, I received the punishment instead of the witch, and for my efforts the witch was murdered in front of me, she viewed it as a just punishment." Emma spat as she began to shake, tears spilling over her eye's as she picture her fourteen year old self being tortured to the sound of the witches screams.

"Who did this to you? You keep saying she?" Regina asked, although she had her suspicions she didn't want to jump to conclusions until the words had come out of Emma's mouth. With one last shaky breath, Emma mumbled the name so faint that Regina thought she had misheard, but the look on Emma's face told her that her hearing was fine.

"My mother."

_tbc…_

**Thanks for reading please leave me a review to let me know what you thought constructive critisism is welcome as I'm always tryting to better myself as a writer.**

**C.A.B**


	4. Chapter 4

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

**I hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas and got everything they wanted, here is my gift to you (not really cause I would have updated today anyway regardless of the holidays) Chapter 4 was annoying mainly because part of it got deleted and I had to re write it. To those of you concerned about thrown vs. throne, I had fixed it but updated an old version by accident; it is now fixed and won't happen again. Thanks for the amazing response to the story, and I hope you all continue to read review and most importantly enjoy. So without further ado Chapter 4 of Innate Attraction.**

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Once Upon a Time, if I did Swan Queen would be canon.**

"Your mother did this to you?!" Regina exclaimed with a mixture of shock and outrage. Gingerly Regina reached her hand towards the hem of Emma's shirt, lifting it slightly to look at the scars once more. Brushing her hands gently down Emma's back she was shocked at the cool feeling of the skin under her hand.

Emma sighed, Regina's hand was warm against her cool skin, she could almost feel the other woman questioning the temperature of the skin underneath her hands but Emma cut her off before she could ask anything. "My skin has always been cool to touch; I'm guessing it has something to do with my magic. But to answer your earlier statement no my mother didn't do this, at least not directly, she ordered the person to punish me though." Emma sighed sadly, if she closed her eyes she could still feel the pain as the enchanted whip came down on her back continuously. Regina was outraged, the mere thought of someone even considering to hurt the woman before her sent Regina into a rage.

"Tell me dear, how did she justify your punishment," Regina seethed, "and what did she do to you?" She questioned, as she moved so that she was no longer behind Emma staring at her back, instead she was now in front of Emma staring deeply into her eyes. Emma looked at Regina and could see the rage and disgust in them as the Queen awaited to hear what Snow had done to Emma.

"Well to my father she justified it by saying that I got in the way of a prisoners punishment," Emma began, "Which is true I mean, I did stop her punishment but the thing is the woman who was being punished hadn't done anything, all she was guilty of was having magic, she didn't even use it." Emma said, tears welling in her eyes as the day replayed in her head. "I had been walking through the market, one of the few times that I had been able to sneak out and visit the people in town. I had been making my way back to the castle when there was a commotion in the square." Emma said quietly, the events of the day still fresh in her mind. "So I did what any curious fourteen year old would do, I walked over to see what was going on. When I got there I saw a women on her knees, her hands tied to a post, her shirt in tatters, soaked with blood, as the guards brought a whip down, again and again," Emma said, her eyes glazing with tears, wincing as she could still here the crack of the whip. Regina reached up and tucked a piece of Emma's hair behind her ear, before dropping her hand back down to grasp Emma's in a show of support.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Regina soothed, Emma shook her head and continued.

"Her shirt was in tatters and she had tears streaming down her face, and blood streaming down her back. I was appalled, so I stepped out of the crowd and demanded the guard stop. He looked at me and cause I still had my hood up he hit me across the face, when my hood fell off he looked startled for a second and then smirked. He announced to the crowd that he would make an example of me, proving that no one not even the princess could get in the way of justice, by order of the Queen. I demanded to know the woman's crime, I was then informed that She was a magic user. I believe his exact words were 'this bitch thinks she can get away with using magic, I'll show the bitch she's wrong, and I'll show you not to interfere' he then tied me to the post and began whipping me as well. And the worst part, wasn't the fact I was being whipped, it was the total hypocrisy of the situation, the whip he was using had been enchanted to only hit two spots over and over again, not once moving. That's why the scars are in a perfect 'x' across my back, instead of a lot of smaller lines." Emma finished wiping at the tears in her eyes refusing to let the queen see any weakness, soul mate or not. Regina sat there, her heart breaking for the woman before her.

"I am so sorry you had to go through that Emma," Regina could feel the tears filling in her eyes as well as a swelling rage, the fact that someone would have the audacity to do this was deplorable.

"Thanks but umm that's not the end of it," Emma said softly, her fingers twisting together anxiously, "After the public whipping we were dragged back to the castle and thrown into a cell. The guard made the other women watch as he took a knife to my front and just kept cutting, tracing the same line over and over again," Emma whimpered at the memory. Taking a deep breath the blonde continued her tale, "Once he was done with me he pulled her out of the cell and told me to watch and learn what my interference had done…he then snapped her neck, I will never be able to get rid of that guilt. If I hadn't done anything there's the chance that she might have just gotten whipped, she might have been left alive." Emma cried, "I took almost a year for me to be healed to a point where I could move freely without pain or stiffness around m scars. I couldn't even heal them with magic because only two people know I have it, and my mom would have flipped out and I would have been in worse shape, just for being me." Emma said dejectedly.

"Well your mother is a hypocritical bitch and while I can't undo what she did I promise you nothing will ever happen to you here, not if I have anything to say about it," Regina promised pulling the blonde into her arms.

"Thank you," Emma mumbled into her neck, "You don't know how much that means to me," She inhaled deeply revelling in a scent that was purely Regina, it was a mix of apples and cinnamon, completely fitting the Queen of the dark kingdom.

"I have a general idea," She mumbled deciding not to ask why Emma hadn't mentioned the scar on her front. Emma looked up at the Queen gratefully a small smile playing across her lips. Regina looked at Emma, the undeniable pull present once more, leaning in slowly the two women brought their lips closer together until they met in a gentle kiss, one full of promise, a promise to protect each other, Emma from her mother, and Regina from anyone who might wish her harm. They kissed for a while revelling in the feeling of their lips moving together. After what felt like hours to the two women, when in actual fact it had only been a few minutes, they pulled apart, both with small grins on their face. Emma broke the silence that had taken over the room, turning the conversation onto a lighter note.

"So explain to me more about this counter part thing, cause from what you were saying it sounds like you're my soul mate, and to be honest that would be awesome, but I feel like I might have misunderstood some stuff." Emma said shyly, not wanting Regina to feel like she was trapped.

"Of course I can," a small smile appeared on Regina's face, "What is it you think you misunderstood?"

"Well it's just…my whole life I grew up with the poster couple of true love," Emma began, hints of disdain filing her voice as she mentioned her parents. "And I was always told that when their eyes locked they just knew they were meant for each other, and were instantly in love. I mean that whole notion sounds ridiculous, because you can't fall in love with someone you barely know, right?" Emma asked hesitantly

"Thank god, a Charming with a brain," Regina huffed in relief, eliciting a small giggle from Emma.

"Yeah no, they're not the brightest, that's for sure." Emma laughed feeling some of the tension to leave her shoulders as she saw how well Regina was taking her question.

"Well you are right, what we have is more along the lines of a strong potential, so strong that you won't feel it with anyone else. But like you said its ridiculous to think that you can fall in love with someone at first glance, true love takes time and nurturing, effort on both sides and a deep understanding of each other that can only be gained through time." Regina explained with a smile. "What your mother thinks was love at first sight was really just lust that grew over time,"

"See that makes more sense," Emma replied lightly, "And I really look forward to gaining that understanding with you," Emma said

"Same here dear. One thing though our magic will probably speed up the process a little bit but don't worry okay, that's totally normal." Regina promised

"That's fine, I trust you. And that's more than I can say about my parents and Prince Baelfire, I wonder what happened at the ball?" Emma said curiously.

"Well why don't we find out?" Regina asked with a small smirk, summoning a mirror over to the bedside. Once the mirror had appeared, the queen waved her hand over it as an image began to appear.

It was nearing nine and Snow was starting to get impatient. Crossing her arms and tapping her foot, the raven haired Queen scanned the crowed once more looking for any sign of her daughter. A tap on her shoulder caused her to whirl around with a low growl, shocking the guard who had returned from checking upon her daughter.

"What? Where is she? Prince Baelfire is getting anxious and his father thinks we want to back out of the deal."

"Umm…well…she…the thing is," the guard stuttered, shrinking away from his Queens menacing glare.

"What? Out with it you fool!" Snow bellowed gaining the attention of many people in the room.

"She's not there, her guard was gone as well. I checked her room, and the bath water was still warm, so she can't have left to long ago. I also found a note, my Queen, it was addressed to you." The guard rushed shoving the note out in front of him, only for it to be snatched from his hands a moment later.

As Snow read the letter left to her by her daughter the queen could feel her rage swelling. " SHE DID WHAT?!" The queen exclaimed. "I WANT HER FOUND NOW, AND THE PERSON TO TELL ME THAT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE WILL REALLY WISH THEY WERE DEAD." The queen screamed. In the queens anger she had forgotten that she was in a room full of people, people who were all looking at her with shock, none more so than Prince Baelfire and his father, who quickly approached the fuming queen.

"Where is my bride?" The prince questioned lowly his voice laced with venom.

"I'm not sure, but I will find her and the wedding will go through as planned. I promise you both that." Snow said lowly storming out of the room away from the frightened on lookers. Little did she know the whole exchange had been watched from the safety of another kingdom.

Thanks so much for reading, please leave me a review to let me know what you thought, constructive criticism is always welcome.

Happy holidays and a merry Christmas to you all, until next week

C.A.B


	5. Chapter 5

"Well that went better than I expected," Emma mused thoughtfully. Running a hand through her hair, further tangling her already wild hair

"That was your mother taking it well? I would hate to see what would have happened if she had been mad," Regina teased, sensing the need for a lighter atmosphere. "Don't worry Emma I promise you that she won't be able to take you from this kingdom or me, I won't allow it." Regina promised.

"I know, I trust you," Emma smiled placing a gentle kiss on Regina's lips.

"Good, come on princess, it's been a long day and I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. Let's get some sleep okay?" Regina suggested as she got up from the bed and made her way towards the extensive closet on the other side of the room. "Do you have pyjamas or do you need some?"

"A pair of pyjamas would be great thanks, I didn't exactly have a chance to grab any as I left," Emma joked lightly, stress colouring her words as she thought of her escape.

"Not a problem, I'll see that tomorrow you get a new wardrobe. For tonight though, an old tunic of mine and a pair of loose cotton pants will have to do," Regina handed the pyjamas over to the grateful blonde. After quickly changing Emma slid into bed beside Regina, sighing as the exhaustion from the day finally started to catch up with her.

"Good night Regina," Emma mumbled into her pillow as sleep began to pull under its spell.

"Sweet dreams Emma," Regina murmured as her eyes slipped shut, contentment filling her body as she draped an arm across the already sleeping blonde beside her.

The next morning dawned early, rays of light slipping into the Queens bedchambers encasing the rooms occupants in a light glow, small smiles on both their faces even in sleep. It was Regina who stirred first, years of early awakenings having conditioned her to waking up with the sun. Glancing over at the other woman in her bed Regina couldn't help but smile softly at the sight. Emma looked so beautiful in her sleep, her face which was normally tense was now completely relaxed, her blonde hair fanned out on the pillow and her arm firmly around Regina's waist preventing her from leaving. Regina smiled at the sight, and couldn't help but place a delicate kiss upon the Blonde's slightly parted lips.

"mmm," Emma murmured as she slowly awoke. "I could get used to waking up like that," she grinned as they broke the kiss.

"Well good, because I plan on doing it much more often," Regina replied with a coyly. "Now come on, get up we have a busy day ahead of us, you have to get your new wardrobe and I need to see what your combat skills are like. On top of that I have a meeting that I have to go to and I think it would be beneficial if you were to be there." Emma sat on the bed amazed Regina was a whirlwind in the mornings.

"Can I get a coffee or something? Unlike you I'm not awake until at least one cup of coffee, it is to early for full-blown schedules to be explained to me," Emma muttered as she stretched languidly on the bed. Regina smirked and waved her hand, instantly a cup of coffee appeared on the bedside table beside Emma.

"Really dear it's almost as though you forget you have magic," Regina teased

"Not like I had a lot of opportunity to use it before," Emma retorted as she inhaled the heavenly aroma rising from her cup. Groaning as the hot beverage hit her tongue. Regina just shook her head in amusement.

"Well you'll have plenty of opportunity to use it now, and I can help you practice if you want," Emma turned her head towards the Queen and smiled.

"That would be great thanks," Emma smiled, "now, you said something about wardrobe? Please tell me I don't have to wear a dress all the time. I can't stand the things, I mean really, they're just impractical and you can't do anything in them." Emma ranted. Regina simply rolled her eyes

"I won't force you to wear anything that you don't want to," She promised as she dragged Emma out of the room to where the royal tailor would be waiting for them. Finally reaching their destination Regina opened the doors and walked over to the woman standing in the middle of the room. "Helena, it's lovely to see you again,"

"You to Majesty," The women said with a thick accent, her blonde curly hair falling into her face as she turned her attention to Emma

"Helena, this is Emma, she needs a new wardrobe and detests dresses I was hoping you might be able to come up with some ideas?" Regina questioned

"Yes, I come up with design now and show you," The women mumbled quietly. Emma looked at the other woman in confusion; she was not at all what she had expected the Royal tailor to look like. Shrugging her shoulders Emma moved closer to the still mumbling blonde, if Regina trusted her Emma could as well.

"I'm exhausted," Emma said flopping down onto the bed. Regina simply smiled at her.

"I didn't think that anything we did today was particularly draining," She teased, "and now you at least have a full wardrobe, I've learned you're a better fighter than half my guard and most importantly we can be ready for you mother when she arrives." Regina stated, a cloud covering her face as she thought of the meeting from that afternoon.

Emma grimaced as well, remembering the shock she felt when she had learned her mother would be paying a visit to the dark kingdom in order to look for her daughter. Although Regina had assured Emma that nothing would come of Snows visit, the blonde was still worried.

"I guess you're right, it's just the thought of my mother is almost physically draining. I mean how dare she think she can simply waltz around to the kingdoms demanding entry in order to look for me. She has no right to do that," Emma said her agitation growing, in fact Emma was so agitated she didn't notice the warmth and tingling sensation that was happening in her palms. Regina on the other hand did notice and cried out.

"Emma your hands!" she exclaimed in shock. Emma looked down and saw a perfectly formed ball of fire in her hand, her eyes widened and she closed her fist immediately putting out the fire.

"What the hell was that?" She jumped

"That was your emotions channelling into fire, something that you now have control over due to our bond," Regina explained calmly although she was anything but.

"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen for a few years," Emma questioned

"It's not, but I guess the circumstances are speeding up the process." Regina theorized, "And if that's the case tomorrow you and I are going to practice how to control this and see if I have gained any control over water."

"Okay that makes sense I guess, tomorrow we can work on that," Emma agreed, pausing as a thought crossed her mind, "What will we do if my mother does find me here? She could declare war, and I refuse to let anything happen to you." Emma stated firmly.

"It won't come to that," Regina said, cutting Emma off before she could continue. "I won't let it and even if it does your mother refuses to use magic, if need be we can put up a magical barrier preventing her from getting through." Emma nodded her head.

"Okay, that sounds like it will work," the hesitance was still evident in her voice.

"I promise you Emma no one will ever take you away from me, I love you and they can't change that, no matter how much they want to." The conviction in which Regina said this made Emma smile. Reaching an arm up Emma pulled Regina down and they both settled down for the night. Turmoil raging in both of their thoughts.


End file.
